Moistening of textile fibers and yarns



Dec. 26, 1933. c. F. DULKEN MOISTENING OF TEXTILE FIBERS AND YARNS Filed Feb. 19, 1932 Patented Dec. 26, 1933 MOISTENIING' OF TEXTILE FIBERS AND vAR sv Charles Friedrich Diilken, Arlington, N. "J.

i F Application February 19, 1932, Serial No. 594,100, v and in Germany April 11, 1931.

8 Claims. (01. 2s s) This invention relates ,to a method of and means for moistening textile fibers and spun yarnsin hank form. Its object is so to treat,

the textile materials that the moistening-shall I 1 5 be inasuniform a manner, as possible with'the Q minimum amountof damage and the maximum saving in labor and a greatly increased output.

In the method commonly employed hitherto .the hanks were usually spaced outon a table 1 and sprayed by hand with a suitable implement.

The method is somewhat inconvenient tooarry out, so that the labor and operative costs are high. The arrangements are costly and there .iore entailhigh initial outlay. Furthermore, it

, frequently occurs that the material to be mois- 25.-tened gets soiled with rust ,or oil from the apparatusor isotherwisedamaged. y,

The method accordingto the invention avoids these disadvantages through the hanksof ma- 4 terial to be moistened. being conveyed past one or more moisture applying places; In a par- .ticularly suitable way of carryingjout the invention-the suspended-hanksare conveyed past the vmoisture applying place. or places. Preferably:

several hanks are suspended next to one another. V In another way of carryingout the invention V the hanksare. moistened; on a vertical partof their' ath, the arrangement being' such that they can be moistened simultaneously from both-sides.

. A further way of carrying the inventioninto' A0 efiect consists in this thatthe hanksgwhile be- ;ing moistened, areloosened up by astream of air.

gPreferablyon thewertical part of their path the hanks areusimultaneously moistened from both --sides and exposed to the action of the blast from above vor below or from above and below.

" .The;apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention is characterized by a yarn from the bars.

conveying device-with driving members for the hanks and one or more moistening arrangements tqalong which-the conveying device travels. f

A simple constructional form of the'invention g is one ingwhich there are two endless conveyor chains or the likeiwhich are arranged parallel to one another at a certain'distarice apart and u whi,ch"are provided at certain intervals with 'the hanks of yarn, and

hook-shaped driving members which engage transverse bars which are'adapted to be placed loosely in the device and from which the hanksare suspended, the bars with the hanks being released from the conveyors after the moistening operation. The path along which the transverse barsare conveyed is preferably divided into separate part paths each with endless, continuously running conveying means, sliding. paths being provided between theseparate part paths .for

.passing thetransverse bars from one conveying.

means to the other. The velocitiesof the conveying device and of the spraying. device are regulable independently of one another, so that an accurately adjustable quantity of moisture can be supplied;

Injaparticularly suitable constructional form of the device thepath through which the transverse bars supporting the hanks are moved by theconveying means forms a completely or nearly completely closed circuit, the place where the bars are fed to the device being opposite theplace of I delivery. This arrangement has theadvantag'e 7' that a single'attendant can both feed the bars to the 1 device and remove. them from it without changing his position, which considerably si nplifies. the work.

The invention enables the hanks of textile rnaterial to be uniformly moistened. ov'er'theinentire length, such moistening being regulablewithin wide limits. There willbe no places which re- ,ceive too much moisture and none which receives. too little moisture. The suspended hanks 'do notcome in contact with the metal partsv of .the

greatly increases the efficiency.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing by two constructional examples.

.Fig. 1; being a diagrammatic, side view of-the main parts of them'achine with the frame removed.' Fig. 2 a general side view of the machine frame, Fig. 3 a view of one of the bars'for suspending j Fig. ,4 another, wayof suspending thehanks of The apparatusfor carrying out the method according to the invention consists of an iron -framework'which has the general form of adoorway. In Fig. 2 one upright of the doorway is .marked l, the other 2, the top of :the doorway 3.

metal. At A at the upright l is the place where the material to be moistened is fed in and at E on the upright 2 the place of delivery.

In the upright 1 a continuously operating conveyor is used, which consists of two endless conveyor chains 4 arranged parallel to and at a distancefrom o ne another and which are provided at regular intervals with hook-shaped driving members 5. The conveyor chains are led around chain wheels or guiding rollers 6 which are mounted on transverse shafts in the machine frame. One pair of chainwheels is driven by a motor (not shown). Below the lower horizontal stretch of the conveyor chains a guiding path '7 is disposed which is open at the feeding in place A for the insertion of the transverse bars from which the textile material isjsuspended.

The material in the form of hanks to be mois tened is suspended from transverse bars 8 or wood or some other material, from which the hanks Qhang down freely. vAs shcwnin Fig. 3 .several hanks 9 are suspended next to one another. Thetransverse bars 8 are placed at A "with their ends on the guiding paths 7 and slide down under the action of gravity. The ends of the bars are then engaged eachby a hook 5 on one ofthe two conveyor chains 4 and are carried along by them, the weight of the bars resting on the guiding paths- 7.

As will beseen fromFig. 1 the moistening of ithe-h'anks takes place on the left hand vertical stretch of the conveyor chains 4. The moisten- "ing device consistsfor instance of two containers 10, which containthe moistening liquid in which the rotating feed drums-11' are immersed. These drums thus become coated on their surface with the moistening liquid. Above thedrums 11 are with the hanks of yarn are transferred at C tofed from an air compressor. 7 also be directed at this place againstthe hanks mounted two rapidly rotating brush rollers 12 .wh'ichflick the liquid off the surface of the drums .1-1' and spray it on to the hanks as they pass. "-Thedrums 11 and the rollers 12 are driven bythe main ldrive (not shown). sprayed simultaneously from'both sides over their entire length. In place of themoistening device shown ordinary spraying nozzles or the like might be used.

Below the vertical stretch of the conveyor chains "4 in which the moistening of the hanks of yarn takes "place is a blower 13 which directs --an upward vertical stream of air against the hanks to be moistened. By this means the hanks are loosened up so that the sprayed on moistening liquid impinges uniformly over the entire surface of the textile surface. In place of the blowers l3 ordinary air nozzles mightbe used,

' Atthe end of the horizontal stretch the bars another conveyor 16 which 'is'mounted in the upright 2. This conveyor 16 is also provided with driving members 5 and conveys the textile material vertically downwards where the bars 8 are hooks.

The hanks are thus The blast I might and; yarns in the form of lianks, comp finally delivered to the fixed guiding path 17 which leads them to the place of delivery E, where the bars with the fully moistened hanks or yarn are removed. The place of delivery E lies opposite the feed place A in the interior of the doorway formed by the machine frame so that thetwo places can be served by a'singile'man.

,As will be seen from Fig.2 the guiding paths 7, 14 and 17 may be so constructed that a single continuous guide is formed from the point A to the point E. This ensures great reliability of operation. The arrangement of the driving members 5 on the conveyor chain's should be made such that the passage of the bars 8 from part conveyor to the next takes place without any shock and at a uniform velocity. The veloc- "ities of the conveyor 4 and of the moistening device 11, 12 are preferably regulable independently of one another, so that. the amount of moisture to be supplied to the textile material can be accurately regulated as require'd.

--In 4 another constructional for-m is illu'strated. In this forin-thetransverse bars- 8 are provided with separate hooks 1-3 from-which-the hanks-of yarn 9 are suspended transvefsely,-so'-100 that they offer their widest side to the moistening sprays. V

The driving members 5 are shown as open Instead of -this they may ease constructed that they form two oppositely directed claws which engage the ends ofthe bars slike shears and thus hold them'fast.

What Iclaim is; u

1. An apparatus for-moistening textile-fibers and yarns'inthe "form of hanks, '-'comprising" 1-10 combination moistening 'means, endless "cenveyer chains spaced apart parallel to onela oth'er Ior conveying the hanks-past the m issnmg means, loose transverse bars fror'n which-the are suspended; hook-shaped driving iiiembersEw fixed on the chains opposite one another atfifefi- --veyor chainsspacedapart parallel-to one ariether V V for conveying the hanks past-the ni6istening-125 means,- loose transverse bars, from hich the -hanks are suspendedso asto; present their widest side to the moisteni-n means;atomsnsseadrmmg members fixedon -the"chain's opposite ane-an:

other at definite intervals and adapted-mp ch -"30 gage roundthe saidloo'se'bars-for carrying them past the moistening means and tsre1ease them after the bars have passed-the moistening lr'ne'a'n's,

as set forth.

3. An apparatusror 'fnois'ten'ing t" g combination moistening rn'eans, -en'dless eonveyer chains spaced apart froln on'e another so =a's' to travel 7 in vertical planes 'f'orjcdiivy'ng the hanks past the mo istenin'g niea'ns, loose t" weat ers-" fromwhich the hanks are suspended; iiidin'g rails fixedbelow the-horizontal stretches o theconveyor chain's hook-shaped driving fii'efiibersfixed -on the chainsmpasse ane-afiotrier a-t definite intervals and a'daptedfto push the bars ailorigthe said guiding rails during thef'hdiiiz' ohifal p'ai i'. of their path, to support-them d ih'g-th'e vertical part of theirpath and to relef e thein'aftr tl fey have passed the moistening meansas isetffoi th.

- "4. An apparatus for moistening textile fibe'rs and yarns in the form of hanks, comprising in combination moistening means, endless conveyor chains spaced apart from one another so as to travel in vertical planes for conveying the hanks past the moistening means, loose transverse bars from which the hanks are suspended, slightly inclined guiding rails fixed below the substantially and yarns in the form of hanks, comprising in combination moistening means, transverse bars from which the'han'ks are suspended, a series of continuously travelling endless conveyors for conveying the bars with the hanks past the moistening means and sliding paths disposed between the separate conveyors for guiding the bars from one conveyor to the next, as set forth.

6. An apparatus for moistening textile fibers and yarns'in form of hanks, comprising in combinationmoistening means, transverse bars from which the hanks are suspended, a series of continuously travelling endless conveyors for conveying the bars with the hanks past the moistening means, sliding paths disposed between the separate conveyors for guiding, the bars from one conveyor to the next,and driving members fixed at intervals to'the conveyors, which are adapted to engage with the said bars and are spaced in such a manner that the bars, on arriving at the end of one conveyor, are received by the next without any shock and at the same speed of travel by the next conveyor, as set forth.

7. An apparatus for moistening textile fibers and yarns in the form of hanks, comprising in combination transverse bars from which the hanks are suspended, conveying means to cause the bars to travel along a path, a portion of which is vertical, moistening means on opposite sides of the said vertical portion of the path for simultaneously and completely moistening the sides of each hank and a blower having its delivery opening in the said vertical portion of the path'and equidirectional therewith so as to loosen the hanks while the latter are being moistened, as set forth.

8. An apparatus for moistening textile fibers and yarns in the form of hanks, comprising in combination a framework in the form of a doorway, conveying. means adapted to convey the hanks past in a substantially closed circuit about I the frame, moistening means arranged on one side of the frame and positioned on opposite sides of the conveying means, a blower for loosening up the material of the hanks at the time the hanks are being moistened, and the place where the hanks are fed to the conveying means being disposed on one side of the doorway and the place where they are removed from it after treatment CHARLES FRIEDRICH DULKEN; 

